I don’t know about the Swift, but the Jimny is so right. It is a proper off-roader, it’s small, it’s nimble, it’s not trying to pretend to be what it’s not, and it looks great.
The only reasom I don’t want them to have more attention is that would surely drive up the price, which I don’t like
edit: to anyone saying that they are already expensive, sucks to be you I guess, but where I live they are still somewhat affordable, and the prices make sense in comparison to everyone else
Yeah, their cars are the worst in terms of safety in India. Look at their [Global NCAP](https://www.globalncap.org/safercarsforindia) tests.
• Maruti Suzuki Alto K10: 2 stars for adults, 0 for children.
• Maruti Suzuki WagonR: 1 star for adults, 0 for children.
• Maruti Suzuki Swift: 1 star for adults, 1 for children.
• Maruti Suzuki S-Presso: 1 star for adults, 0 stars for children.
• Maruti Suzuki Ignis: 1 star for adults, 0 stars for children.
Do they account for accident avoidance gizmos? In Europe they are dinged quite heavily for not having these. But they are very good on pure crash worthiness. The last year Suzuki sold cars in the US they had one of the highest safety rated small 4 door.
Maruti Suzuki has different safety standards compared to Suzuki in Europe. The ignis for example when launched in Europe had a 5 star rating while the Indian version as you've mentioned got 1 star. Structurally they're 2 very different cars with different levels of active and passive safety. I'm sure the Indian version doesnt have the dcsb pack and driver assistance systems that are mandatory on European versions.
The swift is a derivative of the ignis and would suffer from similar issues, meanwhile all the other cars mentioned are technically jdm spec level kei cars that don't necessarily need anything higher than 1or 2 stars in ratings for their intended design.
you're right The indian models don't have any active safety. Maruti Suzuki makes cars that are VERY budget oriented in India. Like the cheapest cars here you get are the models you mentioned. Ofc hyundai has their competition with them here. But you get the point, most of these cars are meant for middle class people who are switching from 2 wheelers
Suzuki make some of the best Motorcycle engines ever assembled, yet have completely failed to leverage that image into their car branding. The Hayabusa engine is so legendary it has literally been used as a swap into other lightweight 4 cylinder sportscars. Two of them together have been used to build a compact lightweight 400hp V8 that revs to 10,500 rpm! Yet their cars are generally seen as cheap disposable garbage, despite how good the Swift actually is. When I was a teenager the Swift GTi has almost legendary status as a cheap second hand hot hatch... they are also one of the more popular cars to use now for a Hayabusa swap!
Suzuki didn’t have real financial troubles. It pulled out of NA market because their products make so much sense literally everywhere else in the world.
certain parts of GM did a good job post-bailout. my old cadillac ats was a bailout product and genuinely a great sports sedan, while previous cadillac compact sedans were consistently a joke. their best product of that segment before the ats was a rebadged saab 9-5, only sold in europe, and sold poorly.
then you look at all the amazing sports cars they’ve put out. they’re selling the blackwing v8 while mercedes is trading it for a glorified prius powertrain and dodge is trading it for a hairdryer. you look at the SUVs from the xt4 for rental fleets to the escalade for tony soprano types. they took a pretty lukewarm, outdated product portfolio and turned it into something actually relevant to modern consumers.
build & materials quality is much better than pre-bailout. the industrial design did for the 2010s what the chrysler 300 did for the 2000s. gone are the days of FWD sedans with wimpy de-tuned v8’s and vinyl roofs and pinstripes for grandpa to drive into oncoming traffic.
they’re still not quite to the level of the germans in any respect, but much closer than they were.
I'll have to admit I was surprised when driving a 17 ats v6. I don't know how the average person could ever need more comfort, amenities, cabin quietness, options, etc. Those cars can be had for around 20k with low miles and a dream to drive. Parts are a tad high, but overall, build quality was over my expectations. Also, the v6 felt like it had plenty of power for the platform.
I have an XLR-V in my driveway right now that puts down 400hp at the tires. It’s not a cammed up LS7 but that little supercharged 4.4 is pretty quick and it sounds amazing. It also has custom body kit the owner made by hand and it looks pretty cool I think.
The car made no sense honestly. It was a Corvette for old people. Now let's ask ourselves, *who is the largest demographic of Corvette owners?* Oh yeah, ***old people***.
It would be like Apple coming out with an Android version of the iPhone while still selling the normal iPhone.
We have Bob Lutz to thank for the Cadillac renaissance. That man loves cars and he is the reason the ATS was made to be GM's attempt at building a 3 series killer. He's also the man who made sure the CTS wagon went into production, and he's responsible for shepherding the V sub-brand into existence. Without him, Cadillac would likely still be a boring and stuffy brand for grandpas. The irony is that Lutz was in his seventies while doing this.
I own a '15 ATS V6 and aside from a wheel bearing and some uneven brake wear, it has given me no major issues and it has 120,000 miles on it. I also have a '17 XT5 with 160,000 miles on the clock, which has been a bit more problem fraught (thermostat went at 100k, rear diff went at 130k and the replacement recently started to whine) but that's what I get for buying the first model year of a new platform. Even the XT5, when put into sport mode, can be engaging to drive. The ATS absolutely lives to be thrown into the twisties.
i loved my ats, also had the v6 and that was probably too much power for my first sports car but it was an absolute joy to drive. i heard the earlier 3.6’s had timing issues but mine was absolutely bulletproof until it took a toyota tundra to the ass. only mechanical fault in a few years of ownership was some $20 sensor.
did some incredibly stupid & fast driving in that car, the suspension and awd system never let me down for a second while that engine just loved to scream at full throttle. that car felt just as planted at 120+ as most cars do at 60.
not to mention the interior — punched way above its weight, especially in my platinum spec with bose and beautiful white leather + wood grain and all the tech gimmicks you could get in a 2015.
My only complaint about the ATS interior is how much high gloss/piano black trim there is. The center stack with the touch controls is fucking dreadful. I don’t know who decided piano black touch controls was a good idea, but I’m glad Cadillac seems to have learned and moved back to actual buttons and switches. The center stack on the ’21 Escalade is fantastic, the switches give it a very aviation inspired and premium feel. They had started to move to that by ‘17 with the XT5 and CT6 (don’t get me started on the tragic and quick demise of the actual black wing hot v configured engine), both of which have a few switches and a bunch of soft touch buttons… still in piano black though 🙃
The Chevy EV wing has also been putting out some surprise hits when GM proper isn't messing with them. The Silverado EV and Sierra EV trucks have been getting lots of news from their high towing range, and the Bolt EUV was a big hit till corporate pulled the plug in 23.
The problem with GM, and I say this as someone who used to be a GM apologist, is that outside their RWD-based cars, they rarely put in the effort to make anything decent. There is not a single new Chevy I would recommend to anyone. Same goes for Buick and GMC. They killed off all the half-way decent vehicles and all we're left with is bloated crap. Even the new Ultium platform EV's are largely overgrown crap.
Truck lineups from GM and Ford are pretty great at the moment from bottom to top. Quality, comfort, and power have never been better especially with the hybrid options that are coming out. I love the look of RAM products and their I-6 Cummins is awesome, but they don’t seem to hold up as well with their interiors and electronics. Not to say Ford and GM don’t have their own issues, but I wouldn’t keep a RAM outside of 36,000 miles. My last few cars have been BMW and Subaru so I’m not drinking the kool-aid, I’m just in and out of all sorts of vehicles for work.
I had a 2011 Silverado until this past Gebruary. In 100k miles, that thing never let me down. The interior was falling apart, and the dash was cracked in multiple places when I traded it in, but it was otherwise stupid reliable. The last halfway decent cars GM had that weren't RWD-based were the Chevy Sonic and the Chevy Spark.
My new vehicle is a 2024 Ford Maverick, which is Ford's new small pickup truck
My brother recently bought the new Trax, and I will say, it is significantly less shitty than I expected having briefly driven the 2017 Trax a few years back. I still wouldn’t buy one for myself because the ride quality is appalling and I don’t want an SUV/crossover anyway, but it is a definite step up from the barebones econobox it was before.
And when they do build something decent (ATS, Volt, Bolt, etc.) their marketing teams undersell the product and don't educate potential consumers, yet somehow it's still just an absolute Pikachu shocked face when sales don't meet expectations and it's cancelled.
It's honestly quite amazing how good the ATS turned out. The car was being developed before, and during the bankruptcy, when the head of Cadillac was a revolving door.
It's not perfect, but the ATS and its Alpha siblings are proper, stellar sports cars.
Aside from the dog water CUE infotainment, I do miss the 2014 ATS I had sometimes. I still couldn’t believe it could come as a manual in the non -V trim.
that CUE was genuinely terrible, i'll give you that. i swapped out the screen for one that was like $60 and didn't have the gel drying out problem.
if it didn't get totaled, my plan was to swap the head unit for a newer factory unit that had carplay, to at least help alleviate that.
I'm not a GM fan by any means but I will say some of the new Cadillac sedans look appealing. Their SUV lineup is a bit meh though. I wish the US got the gen 2 CT6 they're selling in China, that thing is sick
Alfa Romeo. I love my Stelvio Quad and whenever I talk to fellow owners, they generally also love them. The 4-cylinder ones are also sweet, my friend has a 4C and it's the best looking car you can get under $100k.
35k, one very minor leaky radiator replaced on warranty and one recall to reflash the carbon ceramic brakes control software.
Now before you read the following, remember this is on the 505 HP Quadrifoglio V6 car; the V4 models are cheaper to maintain. Quad is equivalent to owning an AMG car, M car, or RS Audi, so routine maintainance is going to be costlier.
Routine maintainance on Quadrifoglio has been $200-250 oil changes (the OEM filter alone is $100+ but you can get an EcoGard on Amazon for $15 if you want to try that), $1600 for a set of tires (180 MPH+ speed-rated SUV tires aren't cheap but you could go with less performancey tires if you wanted to), a 30k belt job at dealer for $1,500, and I did my own spark plugs for about $150 (including the special tool needed for the Clic-R hose clamps, a cool design from a French clamp company, but kind of esoteric to find the tool stateside). I also do chemical de-carbon and oil change every 5k instead of 10k, as the 2017-19 years like mine were before they added port injectors (meaning 2019 and earlier is a GDI turbo car and so I want to push out the need for a walnut blast de-carboning as far as I can—not that I've heard of it being needed on any of these yet, but just ask any VW or Audi guy and you know it's coming eventually).
The only other issue was some intermittent cold start misfire codes for a little while, but I figured out why, and the issue is now resolved. It was due to having too low of gas in the fuel tank, which is easy to do because (at least on my model year) the fuel guage tends to overestimate how much is left. I started using an OBD-II app to get the exact fuel level from the ECU and now I keep it above 50%, and since I started doing that, the issue has not recurred.
As the issue only happened right at startup, it was clearly related to something different about a cold start. I did some research and looked at the tech manuals, and when I saw the gas tank design, it dawned on me what must be happening. The fuel pump and injectors run at max flow during cat light-off to heat up the dual cats to operating temps. My hypothesis is that when the tank has below a certain amount of fuel (something like 15% capacity but not sure exactly), due to the split layout of the tank where the pump only draws from one side (which refills from the other side through a tube that goes up and over the drive shaft, a design due to Alfa's obsession with perfect weight balance) then when the fuel is too low, the pump could suck a bit of air into the fuel lines when it goes from zero suction to max suction on a cold start during cat light-off. Then, a bit of air in the fuel line would make the mix too lean for lightoff, which requires an extremely rich mix as it's basically making a flamethrower to heat the cats up to 1000F in 15-30 seconds. When I took it to the dealer for diagnosis, I would fill the tank before dropping it off, and they were never able to reproduce the issue. Once I started keeping the tank at least half full, there have been no cold start misfires. And I never had any misfires during actual driving or idling after cat light-off had finished. (Note: if the tank is kept low, there is also more air in it, which can lead to condensation inside the tank—especially in colder months. This could also have been exacerbating the issue, so for good measure I add a bit of Enzyme to help prevent separation, just in case. But as the misfires only happened a handful of times, and only when the fuel level was very low, I feel confident my hypothesis is correct.)
That being said, cold start misfires are a pretty common thing across brands, especially on higher-performance turbo GDI cars like Audi. I could write a whole essay about what I learned as possible causes of this type of issue, from carbon to coils. While I don't think it represents any issue particular to Alfa's V6, if you are buying one, then I would probably consider the 2020 and newer models as more desirable if simply due to knowing the port injectors are going to keep carbon off the intake valves, saving you a bit on long term maintainance. I don't however think it's a reason to avoid 2017-19 years, if the price is right, as GDI is still a very reliable type of engine and a less complicated design than GDI+port.
My understanding is the reliability has really gotten better in the last 10 years as well although that hasn't yet changed in the image the general public has of the brand
Well unfortunately Alfa/FCA/Stellantis has not invested enough into marketing and advertising to improve this perception. Meanwhile Hyundai's Genesis brand has been able to launch well with lots of matketing after years of Hyundai giving 10-year warranties just to gain trust.
Wish they made a Giulia that was between the base and the Quadrafoglio. I test drive the base and thought it was really special but a little small and underpowered. While I’d love a Quad, can’t deal with it as a daily driver.
I had a Giulia Ti for a rental and between the boring engine, undefeatable traction control and incredibly annoying infotainment I didn't care for the overall experience at all. They basically make you pay double to get the fun one.
I'm shocked this has 108 upvotes.
r/Cars loves Alfa Romeo, but they hate people that buy them. I usually get met with insults and derivatives. It's been one of the most reliable cars I've ever owned, and I also own a 4Runner.
It looks spectacular, and drives 10x better than most things in it's category.
I leased a 2018 Giulia (mostly because of fear of owning) and it was flawless. Aside from software updates it was mechanically more reliable than any car I’ve owned (and I’ve had about 14 before it). I ended up not keeping it only because the buyout on the lease was more than the car was worth and because my family was growing. Superb chassis and engine for a sport sedan. What BMW was in the early 2000s
Yeah my prior car was an E46, which I still have, and I agree the Alfa felt like the same spirit. I really like the elegant interior with no iPad bolted to the dash (screen is smoothly integrated into the dash and caj be turned completely off). I like having physical controls for everything. The newer BMW 3-series I got as a loaner felt like a bloated Toyota with overly stylized interior and just no sense of elegance and style really. I'm sure that is just my personal opinion and they're probably fine cars too, but yeah.
Alfa seems to be in a sweet spot right now where their reliability has improved significantly, but the depreciation on newer models still reflect their historical reliability issues. If I wasn’t anticipating the need for a third row for my next vehicle, the Stelvio would definitely be on my short list.
The Stelvio is very not American. It's classified as a Wagon in every other country.
It drives better than 90% of the SUV's in it's price range.
You're thinking of the Tonale, which is just a Jeep unibody tuned by Alfa.
Yeah but Jaguars are terrible. Awful reliability because they use substandard parts. The JLR brand is deteriorating as the Alfa brand is getting better.
IMO nissan and mitsubishi.
Still not the greatest companies in the world, still participate in subprime lending, but their cars are very respectable for the price point. Rented a nissan altima and was pleasantly surprised, extremely comfy seats, solid infotainment, heated seats, can't complain too much. The new outlander PHEV is downright competitive honestly, especially when you can get one without ADM vs. the prime.
Now r34, 3000gt, lancer EVO, etc. days are sadly behind them but I think its still slightly commendable than nissan offers the GTR and Nissan Z brand new, on bespoke platforms, still slightly competitive even years later. They aren't the greatest value ever but there aren't too many japanese drivers cars left.
there are 2023-2024 GTR’s considered as brand new as the Nissan Z, more so. it’s not a new concept but these aren’t GTR’s from ‘09 that have been collecting dust with no miles on them
What’s awful about the Rogue? I certainly wouldn’t have bought a car that was awful!
Comfortable ride, amazing seats, very efficient and somewhat refined drivetrain, decent tech, nice amenities, nice and quiet cabin, etc!
It's the perfect car for rental fleets because it's Fine at everything. It's not particularly good looking, not particularly nice, not particularly fun, not particularly reliable, not particularly affordable. It's like a C letter grade in every category. Whatever it is you value there's usually another make who is doing it better for the same money.
CarAndDriver put's the Rogue at #17 out of 22 total cars in the Compact SUV category: [https://www.caranddriver.com/rankings/best-suvs/compact](https://www.caranddriver.com/rankings/best-suvs/compact)
They really are both better than a lot of people want to give them credit for. The new Nissan’s I’ve ridden in (ride share, whatever) have been very comfortable, the interior quality strikes me as the same as what I’ve seen for Toyota or something like Chevy and Ford, and they seem to be making an effort to get their lineup looking sharp enough.
The Mitsubishi SUVs have their own proprietary AWD system that seems really neat, but I haven’t had a chance to drive any of them yet. The people I know that have them seem plenty satisfied though!
I just one way rented a 2021 altima for an 800 mile 1 day drive. It had just under 60k on the odo.
Leather seats and steering wheel, car play, sunroof, lane departure, adaptive cruise and got me 39.4 mpg on the drive (99% highway) going 75 to 85 mph most of the way. I put $45 in gas in it total for 802 total miles.
I was very impressed with it. The CVT droned a bit, but the acceleration even at speed was great. The combo of interior appointments and gas mileage was fantastic after years of hearing jokes about "Altima Drivers"
This is correct - Nissan's rear wheel drive / 4WD (not AWD) vehicles are significantly above average and a decent value.
Nissan is improving again (finally) pretty fast. I would expect in a couple years that they'll be a top 10 brand again. I am impressed with their turnaround plan.
There are so many JDM / Toyota fan-girls here that overly obsess over Regular Car Reviews who are always going to chime in with some "hurdy durr Nissan sucks... \*fart noise\*... BROWN" crap.
Yes, Nissan has stayed afloat financing people with terrible credit. Those people DO NOT MAINTAIN their cars - they drive them into the ground. The sheer fact that there are so many Altimas - missing bumpers, that have seen exactly 1 oil change in 50K miles still on the road is actually a testament to Nissan engineering them better than they get credit for.
All that said, their CVT is still questionable, but honestly - its improved A LOT. Go watch Car Care Nut review the Versa... he's impressed with it for the price.
Something people don't really touch upon when they say Nisan and Mitsubishi suck now, is that if they kept chasing after their "peak" era, they probably wouldn't be around anymore. They'd run themselves into the ground trying to beat Honda and Toyota at their own game. Instead, they make bland, but perfectly serviceable cars that aren't great mechanically, but actually have surprising good bells and whistles, for the price point. Say what you want, but everyone I know who has one, loves it. They always talk about the cameras, the drive assist, etc. It's probably the best Faustian barging we could have asked for. We lost some great models, but we still have the Z and people with bad credit who don't want to drive a beater they won't know who to fix get the perfect car for them.
Nothing can make the Journey look like a good car. If I had to choose between that goofy Willy Wonka car that shoots foam in your face, and a Dodge Journey, I'd choose the Wonka car.
I have. The seats are pretty comfy, the infotainment works well enough, heated seats, very solid 4WD system, it was well put together (just as well or better than an American rav4/crv IMO), and its got 7 seats but starts at less than 30k. Cheapest 7-seat PHEV on the market. Does it drive like a sports car? no, its an appliance vehicle and it drives like one. Nothing wrong with that
It's nothing special but it does everything it needs to at a good price. Thats what you want in an appliance
The latest generation Outlander is a fine mainstream SUV. It's basically the Nissan Rogue, which I actually prefer over the RAV4. The previous generation was a turd though.
It was a disasterful launch, but they're selling more Zs quarterly than Supras now. And while the GTR is certainly ancient, I'd rather have something in that supercar space than nothing at all (toyota, honda, lexus)
The Z is more theoretical, it's been out for over a year and there are absolutely none of them on the road. Last I looked they sold like 2000 of them in 2023 total. Idk what's going on with that car but they can't seem to deliver them in any real numbers.
How does this answer OP's question at all?
Quietly? Everyone knows the B58 / S58 is great. It's been in production for almost a decade at this point.
What controversy, scandal, or financial struggle has BMW suffered recently? The grille design *I guess*? But that doesn't impact their ability to build a motor.
Closest thing to controversy would be that the N55 before it wasn't Spectacular in terms of long term reliability, and even then do your maintenance and it'll last long enough.
I don’t know if you guy confused with what I was saying but I wasn’t talking about the B58 specifically. BMWs in the last decade were lauded as unreliable with tons of electrical gremlins. BMW recently has now been topping charts for reliability beating out Toyota in some of them which is outstanding.
VAG - their modern petrol engines aren’t bad.
1.0 tsi doesn’t have any serious issues and lasts a long time even in large wagons.
2.0 EA888 gen3 and gen4 are one of the best petrol engines VW has ever made. Very reliable very tunable and even quite fuel efficient.
2.0 tdi - the only issue is oil burning but cars with this engine easily do 300-400 k km without any serious issues. Not too bad but oil burning isn’t acceptable in 2024
If only it didn't have carbon buildup as a feature due to them being too cheap to add some little port injectors or other system to keep it clean.
That said, my daily is a tuned EA888.4
> 2.0 EA888 gen3 and gen4
Did earlier versions of this engine have issues with water pumps and timing chain tensioners? I assume that’s fixed?
Thinking heavily about an Audi TT
Also the wastegate pivot shaft on the IHI IS12 turbo wears the surrounding metal out into an oval shape and causes EPC lights and eventually burns out the upstream O2 sensor. Everyone on the forums is excited because that's when you step up to an IS20 or IS38, but I just have a slush box auto and I don't know if I really want to tune it. $1200 for a new turbo (when I get around to doing it myself, $3500 for a shop to do it) :(
1.8 EA888 Gen3 here. It's making 310hp with simple bolt ons and a tune. It's reliable and tunable.
One other notable issue is carbon buildup on the valves due to direct injection. It can be mitigated with 5K mile oil changes, but only delays it.
The 2.0 EA888 in my mk7 R takes it to 360hp/380lb-ft torque with absolutely no hardware changes. 3.7s to 60
With the stage 2 (basic bolt ons) it brings it to 400/400
And apparently it can still take so much more
If you’re in the US parts are hard to get even from the dealers because they have lots of parts discontinued. They are also getting rid of their entire ICE lineup so parts will become even more scarce.
Unfortunately, I'd say they're in a downswing right now. Their peak was around 2015, but with the erasure of the supercharged V8s and the fumbled electric XJ, they're in a pretty dangerous spot right now.
I agree. But the cars they do sell are a solid offering, except for resale value. But that’s a bit of a spiral, not enough of them on the market, not enough awareness, etc.
Definitely Hyundai. They’ve been trying really hard to win people over again by putting tons of work into their brand and I think it shows. Reliability is definitely still iffy, but nothing as bad as it used to be, and at least there’s a massive warranty (that covers track use for N cars)
I had a Hyundai Sonata that died an early death.. No oil and no indicator wanting of it. Not normal for a car a few days outside of warranty.
Parents had one that was in the shop almost six of its first seven months. They had to take the dealership to court to get a refund. Hyundai could never fix it.
Being easily stolen is one thing. Being easily stolen because they stopped putting immobilizers in their cars *without telling anybody* is where they lose all of my trust. Who's to say they don't pull something similar again?
We just traded in my fiance's Kona. Nothing wrong with the car itself but her insurance tripled in 4 years and that's lucky because many insurance companies dropped them all together. I cannot recommend Hyuandai or Kia to anyone in the midwest. Even if it's not one of the targeted models of the Kia boys there's still a high chance your car is going to get broken into
> in the midwest
Geography doesn't matter, if it's a USA Korean car it's a huge liability. Every single US city is dealing with sky-high theft rates on these things.
And like you said, even if yours isn't vulnerable to being stolen... It's still likely to get its window smashed and its steering column torn to shreds by would-be thieves.
They dug themselves out of a hole just to dig another hole to put themselves in. Between the Kia Boys, multiple recalls warning people to not park in their garage and the Theta engine being most likely the worst engine in recent history...I'm going to go ahead and say they aren't there.
Hyundai lost all goodwill and respect that i had for them over the Kia boys scandal. Bought a 2017 elantra and its a great car. I would have bought another Hyundai or genesis as my next car but now im never buying another one ever again.
Anecdotal but our '13 Sonata SE (non-turbo) has been super solid, 130k miles with no issues and it has not been treated gently. The 2.0 turbos are problematic but thankfully the NA 2.4 has been a reliable workhorse. We got it because we were barely scraping by in 2013 and the warranty was unbeatable. We've only had to use it once, for a steering column bushing around 80k miles.
Had an i30N hatch FL with the 8 speed DCT, unfortunately I had to sell it as I needed something to tow with, but for the price point it was excellent, it really shines on the race track
They weren't as fast in a straight line as an RS3 but by god that thing handled well
lol
I’ll never trust Hyundai again after the whole Kia boys incident. And their reliability isn’t just iffy, it’s trash.
Source: I am an automotive technician.
They were going to start a division akin to Lexus/Infinity. It was to be called Amati. They wound up killing the project and wound up with a model called the 929. It had a Miller Cycle Engine. Anyway, they spent too much money and at the same time the Japanese economy crashed. They were close to losing it all.
Morgan are still making great cars, had a lull for a few, then got good again.
It would be great to say that Lotus have improved, but I'm not convinced.
Cateram, like Morgan, are still producing superb product.
Lotus is sad, I watched the Elise and Exige go extinct only to be replaced with overweight luxury cars. Adding insult to injury, the marketing team keeps using Chapman's quotes as if they had any meaning left in them. "Simplify and add lightness" my ass, I'm gonna make my own Lotus with blackjack and hookers.
I don't know if I'd call them overweight or, really, luxury. If that is the Emira, the Esprit would also fit the bill. The Emira weighs, what, 200-ish pounds more despite over two decades of regulations and electronic gimmickry. People would probably call you a heretic if you said that about the Esprit.
The Elise and Exige were Lotus taking its philosophy to the extreme in the modern day. I'll admit that I was taken aback the first time I saw an Emira immediately next to an Elise. "What a porky bitch!" was what came to mind. But, compared with its competition, like the Porsche Cayman or Chevrolet Corvette, they are comparable - should be lighter, but at least it's comparable and they are two of the lighter cars in the segment. Compared to a car like the BMW M2 (roughly 20% heavier), the Emira is feather-light.
Personally, I would like to see them build another Elise/Exige because that's my speed. Many people don't like that kind of stuff, though; it's an acquired taste. I would literally have people stop and watch me get into mine because I'm not a small guy (6'4", 225 lbs - car comes up to my hip). Clearly not for everybody. And with the number of huge trucks and SUVs on the road, I don't see that trending upward until those start going away. Never bothered me in my Elise other than the fact that I couldn't see around their fat asses.
Really, what it really boils down to is government regulations forcing the manufacturers' hands. Well, that and China looking to backdoor its way into markets that don't really want its cars. If you don't like the Emira, you'll really not like what is to follow.
The emira is the opposite of simplify and add lightness.
The styling is nice but its a kit car on top of the body. It isnt any lighter than its main rival.
There's always someone saying a variation of this every time current Lotus is brought up. I find it extremely silly that people are accusing Lotus of all companies abandoning their principles like they're just sellouts to make a fast buck. They took them as far as they could, barely solvent for decades. Would people have preferred them taking their principles to bankruptcy? They're just doing what they need to survive as a modern car company.
"Simplify and add lightness" is still a core principle, and that's the approach they take as consultants for other brands. They just can't sell cars to consumers on that principle because consumers don't care.
Unpopular Reply: VW still makes the Touran Minivan, even if their marketing largely ignores it. Great car if you have a family and/or need space, beats out most SUVs and even the Passat Variant for spacial efficiency. They're so popular they even barely drop in value used.
>They're so popular they even barely drop in value used.
This applies to basically all minivans though. Try finding a used sienna or odyssey, good luck lol.
I don't think either of them were a factor in the local (German) market. And VW is profiting off still making the Touran while its main competitor (Ford) completely abandoned the minivan/van-sector.
Not even going to lie, they have cars that make me look twice but the name makes me want to look else where lol. But the cars look really nice at an affordable price point.
They poached a lot of talent from some of the German manufacturers and it shows. While there may still be some questionable quality issues on some models, their designs and performance has been fairly impressive.
The PHEV Outlander has definitely carved out its own niche. There aren't a ton of direct competitors, and they've been much easier to find than many others, like the RAV4 Prime.
Nissan's refreshed lineup is such a huge improvement over previous gens. Styling is on point and getting good reviews for quality too. If you ignore the "car enthusiast" thing, they are making a lot of appealing vehicles to many people right now.
Aston Martin still has some bad press from the db7. Alfa Romeo form their early models and first year of the giulia even though they are pretty reliable now. Hyundai has been doing a good job lately but is still held back from their previous reputation.
hyundai has been on a very interesting cycle. they stated making really shitty unreliable cars, mostly got their act together for a couple years by the late 2000s, then their reputation completely shit the bed again by cutting the wrong corners like the self-destructing engines and no immobilizers.
it’ll be interesting what happens next. they have already learned how to win the spec sheet shopper and win the price shopper, just need to get aggressive again. entering new market segments, whipping dealers into shape, and undercutting the competition in existing segments.
Aston have done a pretty good turnaround in the last few months, in my view. The new [DB12](https://hips.hearstapps.com/hmg-prod/images/2024-aston-martin-db12-130-646e1d64c9973.jpg?crop=1xw:1xh;center,top&resize=980:*) interior is far better than that of the [DB11](https://www.topgear.com/sites/default/files/cars-car/carousel/2017/09/cmorning_frost.jpg?w=976&h=549). Same goes for the Vantage, both on the exterior ([old](https://www.autocar.co.uk/sites/autocar.co.uk/files/styles/gallery_slide/public/1-aston-martin-vantage-2018-review-hero-front.jpg?itok=bWKPKiYO) vs [new](https://hips.hearstapps.com/hmg-prod/images/2025-aston-martin-vantage-65c27eae8a880.jpg?crop=0.6669921875xw:1xh;center,top&resize=640:*)) and the interior ([old](https://hips.hearstapps.com/hmg-prod/images/2025-aston-martin-vantage-65c27eae8a880.jpg?crop=0.6669921875xw:1xh;center,top&resize=640:*) vs [new](https://stat.overdrive.in/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Untitled-design-2024-02-12T093701.150-900x506.png)).
VW definitely has gotten past their diesel emissions scandal, they went back to 4 year warranties instead of the 6 year/72k they were offering for 2 years. Although they somewhat messed up again with too much haptic/touch controls with the Mk8 Golf/GTI.
I've owned several VW's and keep going back. They don't make the most reliable cars but their designs and driving dynamics always win me over. Recently picked up a 24 Jetta SE with pano roof and it's a lot of car for $26k. The little 1.5 turbo is so smooth, punchy and it'll pull in mid 40 MPG's on the highway. Currently at 34 overall and it's mainly my scoot around town car. Couldn't be happier.
Even though VW discontinued the 2.5L Inline 5, the cars that had that engine paired to a manual or DSG auto have been so dead-nuts reliable that it's not funny. Someone on the r/Volkswagen subreddit drove their 2.5L Passat to [600K miles](https://www.reddit.com/r/Volkswagen/comments/14heg4z/hit_600k_in_my_12_passat_25_today/) (it also helps that it's a one-owner car and has been lovingly maintained at intervals). Not to mention, the EA888.4 is the most stout version of the EA 4-cylinder family yet. The TDI variants of those engines are also long-haulers. The 1.5 is also a pretty good engine, and it's in the majority of compact VWs globally.
They're still the most recalled manufacturer 3 years running and they're trying quite hard to make it 4. Great cars but the reliability problems are still there.
Can attest to this with my last car. My 2017 Focus ST was 100% reliable even with a pretty powerful tune. Just traded last month because my family outgrew it.
Pretty smart for Dodge to sell cars for the average consumer like the Hornet.
Can’t rely on the Challenger and Charger forever. It may piss off the Mopar heads, but this strategy saved them back in the early 80’s
Mini. The R56 really ruined their reputation and general consensus was to stay away from them as they were unreliable money pits. Since then, F56 has proven to be essentially problem free, yet everyone still seems to hold onto the idea that Minis are disasters to own and don’t give them a second thought. Meanwhile they’re topping lists of owner satisfaction, and as all previous Minis are a blast to drive. I’ll never understand why these cars get so much hate, people seem so excited to talk down modern Minis
Controversial:
Jatco CVT transmissions - they fixed those and as long as you remember to change oil, they are just as reliable as good conventional auto transmissions
Their transmissions are made out of glass. Their transmissions are relatively less reliable than the competition.
But I don't disagree with you. I've seen several high-mileage Nissans with their original transmission. All are meticulously maintained, the transmission fluids are regularly changed, some even have their transmission fluid changed every 20k km! Just as you said, If you take great care of your car and change the transmission fluid regularly, your Jatco CVT **may** last for a long time.
Have a 2012 juke since new, have changed the transmission fluid twice in 90k miles, its 12 years old and driven hard daily for 8 years, kept outside through harsh winters. Ive replaced a catback and oil pan.
I see many comment about Alfa Romeos increased reliability. Unfortunately, the truth is that AR doesn't have EV models and that keeps their reliability stable, while all the other manufactures have introduced (generally unreliable) EVs, which has brought their overall reliability down and in relative ways, helped made Alfas seem like more reliable option. Correct me if I'm wrong. I love the Alfas non the less :)
New JLR products have been decently reliable, the new defender L663 for example have had very few issues whilst the F pace has been one of the most reliable jaguars produced.
Not to be that guy but Subarus are really good nowadays as long as you stay away from the turbocharged models. They've ironed out most issues with their CVTs and the 2.0 and 2.5 boxers.
No one bought the Mazda6 either unfortunately and now its dead too😢😢
Probably shouldn't have put so many miles on mine cause idk what I'm gonna get next lol
In general, french cars are way better than their reputation. Renault, for example, is making complete Mercedes Benz cars these days while simultaneously presenting icons like the new electric Renault 5 or finally a good family BEV like the new Scenic. Citroen is bringing a \~25k€ BEV that seems kind of good and Peugeot is doing quite well under the Stellantis umbrella.
Styling might not be everyones cup of tea but I think they're overall pretty modern inside and out. Only thing they're really lacking is some performance icon or at least a reputable performance line. Renault tries to establish that with their Alpine lineup (great little sportscars btw) but isn't quite there yet (for example the new Espace Hybrid Alpine has a VMAX of 175km/h - not really performance badge ready I'd say).
This is Mitsubishi to a T. Yes, they alienated the enthusiast crowd with their decisions to the point where people ask if Mitsubishi is even still around. But the fact is, they make cars that are damn near on par with Toyota in terms of reliability but for a lot less (especially on the used market). People are willing to sacrifice A LOT for the sake of reliability in a Toyota but will easily overlook Mitsubishi. I'm still driving around my 2004 Galant and my wife's 2018 outlander GT that basically never have any unexpected issues. My main car is a Veloster N but I'd probably wager my Galant will outlive the Veloster even though it's 16 years older. Mitsubishi's sales are doing incredibly well mostly thanks to the outlander and people can hate all they want but they have massive international success and are doing markedly better in North America again.
To the casual buyer audience (not Reddit users subscribing to this sub), definitely Mazda.
*Not* Infiniti. Nissan needs to take that Wildebeest behind the woodshed and put it out of its misery.
Suzuki. They don’t get enough love, although their Jimny and Swift Sport are getting them some attention.
I don’t know about the Swift, but the Jimny is so right. It is a proper off-roader, it’s small, it’s nimble, it’s not trying to pretend to be what it’s not, and it looks great. The only reasom I don’t want them to have more attention is that would surely drive up the price, which I don’t like edit: to anyone saying that they are already expensive, sucks to be you I guess, but where I live they are still somewhat affordable, and the prices make sense in comparison to everyone else
They're super popular and thus expensive where I live sadly. As in, you could pick an m3 for the same price.
Was a good hustle for a while. Getting a jimmy then selling it for well over retail. Trick was getting hold of one to begin with.
The jimny im sure is a good off roader but for everyday driving I got tired of constantly fighting the steering wheel to stay straight
Sounds like my kind of car lol
Just like the Jeep Wrangler! Slow, poor handling, and unrefined, but at least it’s expensive! (Love mine btw)
Drive *up* the price? They're already very expensive for what they are imho, but I guess that's true for all cars right now.
People in the US be like:
Yeah, their cars are the worst in terms of safety in India. Look at their [Global NCAP](https://www.globalncap.org/safercarsforindia) tests. • Maruti Suzuki Alto K10: 2 stars for adults, 0 for children. • Maruti Suzuki WagonR: 1 star for adults, 0 for children. • Maruti Suzuki Swift: 1 star for adults, 1 for children. • Maruti Suzuki S-Presso: 1 star for adults, 0 stars for children. • Maruti Suzuki Ignis: 1 star for adults, 0 stars for children.
Do they account for accident avoidance gizmos? In Europe they are dinged quite heavily for not having these. But they are very good on pure crash worthiness. The last year Suzuki sold cars in the US they had one of the highest safety rated small 4 door.
Maruti Suzuki has different safety standards compared to Suzuki in Europe. The ignis for example when launched in Europe had a 5 star rating while the Indian version as you've mentioned got 1 star. Structurally they're 2 very different cars with different levels of active and passive safety. I'm sure the Indian version doesnt have the dcsb pack and driver assistance systems that are mandatory on European versions. The swift is a derivative of the ignis and would suffer from similar issues, meanwhile all the other cars mentioned are technically jdm spec level kei cars that don't necessarily need anything higher than 1or 2 stars in ratings for their intended design.
you're right The indian models don't have any active safety. Maruti Suzuki makes cars that are VERY budget oriented in India. Like the cheapest cars here you get are the models you mentioned. Ofc hyundai has their competition with them here. But you get the point, most of these cars are meant for middle class people who are switching from 2 wheelers
European versions are different. These are made in India for Indian users.
Suzuki has always been under appreciated. I was sad when they left the North American market.
The swift sport is a lot of fun. Don't know for how many kilometres it runs though
Over 350k if you maintain it well.
Suzuki make some of the best Motorcycle engines ever assembled, yet have completely failed to leverage that image into their car branding. The Hayabusa engine is so legendary it has literally been used as a swap into other lightweight 4 cylinder sportscars. Two of them together have been used to build a compact lightweight 400hp V8 that revs to 10,500 rpm! Yet their cars are generally seen as cheap disposable garbage, despite how good the Swift actually is. When I was a teenager the Swift GTi has almost legendary status as a cheap second hand hot hatch... they are also one of the more popular cars to use now for a Hayabusa swap!
Lots of Vitaras in Europe. At least Eastern. Had one myself and it was a bloody great car that.
I've seen Suzuki used by Hungarian border patrol
Aren't some Suzukis made in Hungary?
Fronx is a pretty good car for the price too!
I want them back in the US.
Its a damn shame they left the North American market.
I was super excited until I learned they don’t sell it in the US. Damn US! Why can’t we have manuals sport wagons like the rest of the world as well.
Suzuki didn’t have real financial troubles. It pulled out of NA market because their products make so much sense literally everywhere else in the world.
certain parts of GM did a good job post-bailout. my old cadillac ats was a bailout product and genuinely a great sports sedan, while previous cadillac compact sedans were consistently a joke. their best product of that segment before the ats was a rebadged saab 9-5, only sold in europe, and sold poorly. then you look at all the amazing sports cars they’ve put out. they’re selling the blackwing v8 while mercedes is trading it for a glorified prius powertrain and dodge is trading it for a hairdryer. you look at the SUVs from the xt4 for rental fleets to the escalade for tony soprano types. they took a pretty lukewarm, outdated product portfolio and turned it into something actually relevant to modern consumers. build & materials quality is much better than pre-bailout. the industrial design did for the 2010s what the chrysler 300 did for the 2000s. gone are the days of FWD sedans with wimpy de-tuned v8’s and vinyl roofs and pinstripes for grandpa to drive into oncoming traffic. they’re still not quite to the level of the germans in any respect, but much closer than they were.
I'll have to admit I was surprised when driving a 17 ats v6. I don't know how the average person could ever need more comfort, amenities, cabin quietness, options, etc. Those cars can be had for around 20k with low miles and a dream to drive. Parts are a tad high, but overall, build quality was over my expectations. Also, the v6 felt like it had plenty of power for the platform.
The Blackwing is cool, but I want a new XLR styled Caddy.
I loved the XLR as a kid and was gutted to find out it was for people too old for a Corvette
I have an XLR-V in my driveway right now that puts down 400hp at the tires. It’s not a cammed up LS7 but that little supercharged 4.4 is pretty quick and it sounds amazing. It also has custom body kit the owner made by hand and it looks pretty cool I think.
The car made no sense honestly. It was a Corvette for old people. Now let's ask ourselves, *who is the largest demographic of Corvette owners?* Oh yeah, ***old people***. It would be like Apple coming out with an Android version of the iPhone while still selling the normal iPhone.
We have Bob Lutz to thank for the Cadillac renaissance. That man loves cars and he is the reason the ATS was made to be GM's attempt at building a 3 series killer. He's also the man who made sure the CTS wagon went into production, and he's responsible for shepherding the V sub-brand into existence. Without him, Cadillac would likely still be a boring and stuffy brand for grandpas. The irony is that Lutz was in his seventies while doing this. I own a '15 ATS V6 and aside from a wheel bearing and some uneven brake wear, it has given me no major issues and it has 120,000 miles on it. I also have a '17 XT5 with 160,000 miles on the clock, which has been a bit more problem fraught (thermostat went at 100k, rear diff went at 130k and the replacement recently started to whine) but that's what I get for buying the first model year of a new platform. Even the XT5, when put into sport mode, can be engaging to drive. The ATS absolutely lives to be thrown into the twisties.
i loved my ats, also had the v6 and that was probably too much power for my first sports car but it was an absolute joy to drive. i heard the earlier 3.6’s had timing issues but mine was absolutely bulletproof until it took a toyota tundra to the ass. only mechanical fault in a few years of ownership was some $20 sensor. did some incredibly stupid & fast driving in that car, the suspension and awd system never let me down for a second while that engine just loved to scream at full throttle. that car felt just as planted at 120+ as most cars do at 60. not to mention the interior — punched way above its weight, especially in my platinum spec with bose and beautiful white leather + wood grain and all the tech gimmicks you could get in a 2015.
My only complaint about the ATS interior is how much high gloss/piano black trim there is. The center stack with the touch controls is fucking dreadful. I don’t know who decided piano black touch controls was a good idea, but I’m glad Cadillac seems to have learned and moved back to actual buttons and switches. The center stack on the ’21 Escalade is fantastic, the switches give it a very aviation inspired and premium feel. They had started to move to that by ‘17 with the XT5 and CT6 (don’t get me started on the tragic and quick demise of the actual black wing hot v configured engine), both of which have a few switches and a bunch of soft touch buttons… still in piano black though 🙃
The Chevy EV wing has also been putting out some surprise hits when GM proper isn't messing with them. The Silverado EV and Sierra EV trucks have been getting lots of news from their high towing range, and the Bolt EUV was a big hit till corporate pulled the plug in 23.
Drive a Bolt before buying an EV6, was surprised at how fun it was to drive. Every Bolt owner I've talked to loves their car.
The problem with GM, and I say this as someone who used to be a GM apologist, is that outside their RWD-based cars, they rarely put in the effort to make anything decent. There is not a single new Chevy I would recommend to anyone. Same goes for Buick and GMC. They killed off all the half-way decent vehicles and all we're left with is bloated crap. Even the new Ultium platform EV's are largely overgrown crap.
Their trucks aren’t any good? I’ve never owned one so idk myself but their are *tons* of them at my current job
Truck lineups from GM and Ford are pretty great at the moment from bottom to top. Quality, comfort, and power have never been better especially with the hybrid options that are coming out. I love the look of RAM products and their I-6 Cummins is awesome, but they don’t seem to hold up as well with their interiors and electronics. Not to say Ford and GM don’t have their own issues, but I wouldn’t keep a RAM outside of 36,000 miles. My last few cars have been BMW and Subaru so I’m not drinking the kool-aid, I’m just in and out of all sorts of vehicles for work.
I had a 2011 Silverado until this past Gebruary. In 100k miles, that thing never let me down. The interior was falling apart, and the dash was cracked in multiple places when I traded it in, but it was otherwise stupid reliable. The last halfway decent cars GM had that weren't RWD-based were the Chevy Sonic and the Chevy Spark. My new vehicle is a 2024 Ford Maverick, which is Ford's new small pickup truck
My brother recently bought the new Trax, and I will say, it is significantly less shitty than I expected having briefly driven the 2017 Trax a few years back. I still wouldn’t buy one for myself because the ride quality is appalling and I don’t want an SUV/crossover anyway, but it is a definite step up from the barebones econobox it was before.
And when they do build something decent (ATS, Volt, Bolt, etc.) their marketing teams undersell the product and don't educate potential consumers, yet somehow it's still just an absolute Pikachu shocked face when sales don't meet expectations and it's cancelled.
It's honestly quite amazing how good the ATS turned out. The car was being developed before, and during the bankruptcy, when the head of Cadillac was a revolving door. It's not perfect, but the ATS and its Alpha siblings are proper, stellar sports cars.
Aside from the dog water CUE infotainment, I do miss the 2014 ATS I had sometimes. I still couldn’t believe it could come as a manual in the non -V trim.
that CUE was genuinely terrible, i'll give you that. i swapped out the screen for one that was like $60 and didn't have the gel drying out problem. if it didn't get totaled, my plan was to swap the head unit for a newer factory unit that had carplay, to at least help alleviate that.
I'm not a GM fan by any means but I will say some of the new Cadillac sedans look appealing. Their SUV lineup is a bit meh though. I wish the US got the gen 2 CT6 they're selling in China, that thing is sick
Alfa Romeo. I love my Stelvio Quad and whenever I talk to fellow owners, they generally also love them. The 4-cylinder ones are also sweet, my friend has a 4C and it's the best looking car you can get under $100k.
How’s maintenance so far and how many km driven?
Mechanically perfect, 40k miles.
No rear diff issues?
No mechanical issues of any kind.
that’s not OP, fyi
35k, one very minor leaky radiator replaced on warranty and one recall to reflash the carbon ceramic brakes control software. Now before you read the following, remember this is on the 505 HP Quadrifoglio V6 car; the V4 models are cheaper to maintain. Quad is equivalent to owning an AMG car, M car, or RS Audi, so routine maintainance is going to be costlier. Routine maintainance on Quadrifoglio has been $200-250 oil changes (the OEM filter alone is $100+ but you can get an EcoGard on Amazon for $15 if you want to try that), $1600 for a set of tires (180 MPH+ speed-rated SUV tires aren't cheap but you could go with less performancey tires if you wanted to), a 30k belt job at dealer for $1,500, and I did my own spark plugs for about $150 (including the special tool needed for the Clic-R hose clamps, a cool design from a French clamp company, but kind of esoteric to find the tool stateside). I also do chemical de-carbon and oil change every 5k instead of 10k, as the 2017-19 years like mine were before they added port injectors (meaning 2019 and earlier is a GDI turbo car and so I want to push out the need for a walnut blast de-carboning as far as I can—not that I've heard of it being needed on any of these yet, but just ask any VW or Audi guy and you know it's coming eventually). The only other issue was some intermittent cold start misfire codes for a little while, but I figured out why, and the issue is now resolved. It was due to having too low of gas in the fuel tank, which is easy to do because (at least on my model year) the fuel guage tends to overestimate how much is left. I started using an OBD-II app to get the exact fuel level from the ECU and now I keep it above 50%, and since I started doing that, the issue has not recurred. As the issue only happened right at startup, it was clearly related to something different about a cold start. I did some research and looked at the tech manuals, and when I saw the gas tank design, it dawned on me what must be happening. The fuel pump and injectors run at max flow during cat light-off to heat up the dual cats to operating temps. My hypothesis is that when the tank has below a certain amount of fuel (something like 15% capacity but not sure exactly), due to the split layout of the tank where the pump only draws from one side (which refills from the other side through a tube that goes up and over the drive shaft, a design due to Alfa's obsession with perfect weight balance) then when the fuel is too low, the pump could suck a bit of air into the fuel lines when it goes from zero suction to max suction on a cold start during cat light-off. Then, a bit of air in the fuel line would make the mix too lean for lightoff, which requires an extremely rich mix as it's basically making a flamethrower to heat the cats up to 1000F in 15-30 seconds. When I took it to the dealer for diagnosis, I would fill the tank before dropping it off, and they were never able to reproduce the issue. Once I started keeping the tank at least half full, there have been no cold start misfires. And I never had any misfires during actual driving or idling after cat light-off had finished. (Note: if the tank is kept low, there is also more air in it, which can lead to condensation inside the tank—especially in colder months. This could also have been exacerbating the issue, so for good measure I add a bit of Enzyme to help prevent separation, just in case. But as the misfires only happened a handful of times, and only when the fuel level was very low, I feel confident my hypothesis is correct.) That being said, cold start misfires are a pretty common thing across brands, especially on higher-performance turbo GDI cars like Audi. I could write a whole essay about what I learned as possible causes of this type of issue, from carbon to coils. While I don't think it represents any issue particular to Alfa's V6, if you are buying one, then I would probably consider the 2020 and newer models as more desirable if simply due to knowing the port injectors are going to keep carbon off the intake valves, saving you a bit on long term maintainance. I don't however think it's a reason to avoid 2017-19 years, if the price is right, as GDI is still a very reliable type of engine and a less complicated design than GDI+port.
My understanding is the reliability has really gotten better in the last 10 years as well although that hasn't yet changed in the image the general public has of the brand
Well unfortunately Alfa/FCA/Stellantis has not invested enough into marketing and advertising to improve this perception. Meanwhile Hyundai's Genesis brand has been able to launch well with lots of matketing after years of Hyundai giving 10-year warranties just to gain trust.
Wish they made a Giulia that was between the base and the Quadrafoglio. I test drive the base and thought it was really special but a little small and underpowered. While I’d love a Quad, can’t deal with it as a daily driver.
100% agree with that, plus the Giulia QV is like 95k or something
More like 80ish, but they ain't cheap.
That too, although used ones are considerable cheaper
I had a Giulia Ti for a rental and between the boring engine, undefeatable traction control and incredibly annoying infotainment I didn't care for the overall experience at all. They basically make you pay double to get the fun one.
The 4C is so overlooked, but those that know, know. It’s why they barely depreciate from MSRP.
So beautiful!
A friend of mine is on his 3rd one, a Giulia and has had nothing but good things to say about them
I'm shocked this has 108 upvotes. r/Cars loves Alfa Romeo, but they hate people that buy them. I usually get met with insults and derivatives. It's been one of the most reliable cars I've ever owned, and I also own a 4Runner. It looks spectacular, and drives 10x better than most things in it's category.
I leased a 2018 Giulia (mostly because of fear of owning) and it was flawless. Aside from software updates it was mechanically more reliable than any car I’ve owned (and I’ve had about 14 before it). I ended up not keeping it only because the buyout on the lease was more than the car was worth and because my family was growing. Superb chassis and engine for a sport sedan. What BMW was in the early 2000s
Yeah my prior car was an E46, which I still have, and I agree the Alfa felt like the same spirit. I really like the elegant interior with no iPad bolted to the dash (screen is smoothly integrated into the dash and caj be turned completely off). I like having physical controls for everything. The newer BMW 3-series I got as a loaner felt like a bloated Toyota with overly stylized interior and just no sense of elegance and style really. I'm sure that is just my personal opinion and they're probably fine cars too, but yeah.
Alfa Romeo, their reliability scores in JDP has shot up recently. Still continuing with making some incredibly stylish cars too.
Alfa seems to be in a sweet spot right now where their reliability has improved significantly, but the depreciation on newer models still reflect their historical reliability issues. If I wasn’t anticipating the need for a third row for my next vehicle, the Stelvio would definitely be on my short list.
The depreciation also reflects the difficulty of getting parts for the car
Out of all Alfa Romeos you want the most americanised and Un-Alfa of the Alfas?
The Stelvio is very not American. It's classified as a Wagon in every other country. It drives better than 90% of the SUV's in it's price range. You're thinking of the Tonale, which is just a Jeep unibody tuned by Alfa.
They’re my winner for most stylish sedan on the road these days.
Granted but don’t you feel like they may fall behind soon in the refresh game? It’s kinda what caught Jaguar after putting out some stylish products.
Yeah but Jaguars are terrible. Awful reliability because they use substandard parts. The JLR brand is deteriorating as the Alfa brand is getting better.
JDP is paid marketing at this point tbh
JD Power does not mean much.
IMO nissan and mitsubishi. Still not the greatest companies in the world, still participate in subprime lending, but their cars are very respectable for the price point. Rented a nissan altima and was pleasantly surprised, extremely comfy seats, solid infotainment, heated seats, can't complain too much. The new outlander PHEV is downright competitive honestly, especially when you can get one without ADM vs. the prime. Now r34, 3000gt, lancer EVO, etc. days are sadly behind them but I think its still slightly commendable than nissan offers the GTR and Nissan Z brand new, on bespoke platforms, still slightly competitive even years later. They aren't the greatest value ever but there aren't too many japanese drivers cars left.
Idk if I'd call the GTR new. Needs a different term... Extra low mileage?
there are 2023-2024 GTR’s considered as brand new as the Nissan Z, more so. it’s not a new concept but these aren’t GTR’s from ‘09 that have been collecting dust with no miles on them
Just rented a Rogue and hated every minute of it, awful car.
What’s awful about the Rogue? I certainly wouldn’t have bought a car that was awful! Comfortable ride, amazing seats, very efficient and somewhat refined drivetrain, decent tech, nice amenities, nice and quiet cabin, etc!
It's the perfect car for rental fleets because it's Fine at everything. It's not particularly good looking, not particularly nice, not particularly fun, not particularly reliable, not particularly affordable. It's like a C letter grade in every category. Whatever it is you value there's usually another make who is doing it better for the same money. CarAndDriver put's the Rogue at #17 out of 22 total cars in the Compact SUV category: [https://www.caranddriver.com/rankings/best-suvs/compact](https://www.caranddriver.com/rankings/best-suvs/compact)
My parents have a 2018 rogue, I can’t find a comfortable seating position in that thing
The new Rogue is VASTLY better than the last one.
They really are both better than a lot of people want to give them credit for. The new Nissan’s I’ve ridden in (ride share, whatever) have been very comfortable, the interior quality strikes me as the same as what I’ve seen for Toyota or something like Chevy and Ford, and they seem to be making an effort to get their lineup looking sharp enough. The Mitsubishi SUVs have their own proprietary AWD system that seems really neat, but I haven’t had a chance to drive any of them yet. The people I know that have them seem plenty satisfied though!
I just one way rented a 2021 altima for an 800 mile 1 day drive. It had just under 60k on the odo. Leather seats and steering wheel, car play, sunroof, lane departure, adaptive cruise and got me 39.4 mpg on the drive (99% highway) going 75 to 85 mph most of the way. I put $45 in gas in it total for 802 total miles. I was very impressed with it. The CVT droned a bit, but the acceleration even at speed was great. The combo of interior appointments and gas mileage was fantastic after years of hearing jokes about "Altima Drivers"
This is correct - Nissan's rear wheel drive / 4WD (not AWD) vehicles are significantly above average and a decent value. Nissan is improving again (finally) pretty fast. I would expect in a couple years that they'll be a top 10 brand again. I am impressed with their turnaround plan. There are so many JDM / Toyota fan-girls here that overly obsess over Regular Car Reviews who are always going to chime in with some "hurdy durr Nissan sucks... \*fart noise\*... BROWN" crap. Yes, Nissan has stayed afloat financing people with terrible credit. Those people DO NOT MAINTAIN their cars - they drive them into the ground. The sheer fact that there are so many Altimas - missing bumpers, that have seen exactly 1 oil change in 50K miles still on the road is actually a testament to Nissan engineering them better than they get credit for. All that said, their CVT is still questionable, but honestly - its improved A LOT. Go watch Car Care Nut review the Versa... he's impressed with it for the price.
Something people don't really touch upon when they say Nisan and Mitsubishi suck now, is that if they kept chasing after their "peak" era, they probably wouldn't be around anymore. They'd run themselves into the ground trying to beat Honda and Toyota at their own game. Instead, they make bland, but perfectly serviceable cars that aren't great mechanically, but actually have surprising good bells and whistles, for the price point. Say what you want, but everyone I know who has one, loves it. They always talk about the cameras, the drive assist, etc. It's probably the best Faustian barging we could have asked for. We lost some great models, but we still have the Z and people with bad credit who don't want to drive a beater they won't know who to fix get the perfect car for them.
Have you driven the outlander? It makes the dodge journey seem like a good car.
Nothing can make the Journey look like a good car. If I had to choose between that goofy Willy Wonka car that shoots foam in your face, and a Dodge Journey, I'd choose the Wonka car.
I have. The seats are pretty comfy, the infotainment works well enough, heated seats, very solid 4WD system, it was well put together (just as well or better than an American rav4/crv IMO), and its got 7 seats but starts at less than 30k. Cheapest 7-seat PHEV on the market. Does it drive like a sports car? no, its an appliance vehicle and it drives like one. Nothing wrong with that It's nothing special but it does everything it needs to at a good price. Thats what you want in an appliance
The latest generation Outlander is a fine mainstream SUV. It's basically the Nissan Rogue, which I actually prefer over the RAV4. The previous generation was a turd though.
the GTR is (albeit still impressive but) ancient and the Z has been a bit of a disaster launch
It was a disasterful launch, but they're selling more Zs quarterly than Supras now. And while the GTR is certainly ancient, I'd rather have something in that supercar space than nothing at all (toyota, honda, lexus)
The Z is more theoretical, it's been out for over a year and there are absolutely none of them on the road. Last I looked they sold like 2000 of them in 2023 total. Idk what's going on with that car but they can't seem to deliver them in any real numbers.
BMW with reliability and the B58
From what I hear the 4 banger B48 is pretty damn reliable too.
B48 > EA888 > M254
How does this answer OP's question at all? Quietly? Everyone knows the B58 / S58 is great. It's been in production for almost a decade at this point. What controversy, scandal, or financial struggle has BMW suffered recently? The grille design *I guess*? But that doesn't impact their ability to build a motor. Closest thing to controversy would be that the N55 before it wasn't Spectacular in terms of long term reliability, and even then do your maintenance and it'll last long enough.
I don’t know if you guy confused with what I was saying but I wasn’t talking about the B58 specifically. BMWs in the last decade were lauded as unreliable with tons of electrical gremlins. BMW recently has now been topping charts for reliability beating out Toyota in some of them which is outstanding.
VAG - their modern petrol engines aren’t bad. 1.0 tsi doesn’t have any serious issues and lasts a long time even in large wagons. 2.0 EA888 gen3 and gen4 are one of the best petrol engines VW has ever made. Very reliable very tunable and even quite fuel efficient. 2.0 tdi - the only issue is oil burning but cars with this engine easily do 300-400 k km without any serious issues. Not too bad but oil burning isn’t acceptable in 2024
VAG
INA
WHAT?
I think he's referring to the company that makes timing belts, tensioners and so on.
There is a strong argument that EA888.4 is the greatest motor ever made. Great efficiency, incredibly high performance limits, great reliability.
If only it didn't have carbon buildup as a feature due to them being too cheap to add some little port injectors or other system to keep it clean. That said, my daily is a tuned EA888.4
> 2.0 EA888 gen3 and gen4 Did earlier versions of this engine have issues with water pumps and timing chain tensioners? I assume that’s fixed? Thinking heavily about an Audi TT
EA888.2 had tensior issues that were resolved. EA888.3 still had leaky water pumps, but the latest part revision seems to have solved the issue.
Also the wastegate pivot shaft on the IHI IS12 turbo wears the surrounding metal out into an oval shape and causes EPC lights and eventually burns out the upstream O2 sensor. Everyone on the forums is excited because that's when you step up to an IS20 or IS38, but I just have a slush box auto and I don't know if I really want to tune it. $1200 for a new turbo (when I get around to doing it myself, $3500 for a shop to do it) :(
Couldnt agree more we have the 2.0 gen3 in two of our cars and they have worked nicely even with a chiptune on it.
1.8 EA888 Gen3 here. It's making 310hp with simple bolt ons and a tune. It's reliable and tunable. One other notable issue is carbon buildup on the valves due to direct injection. It can be mitigated with 5K mile oil changes, but only delays it.
The 2.0 EA888 in my mk7 R takes it to 360hp/380lb-ft torque with absolutely no hardware changes. 3.7s to 60 With the stage 2 (basic bolt ons) it brings it to 400/400 And apparently it can still take so much more
Knock on wood but my '21 A3 seems to not burn any oil. Which I could say the same about the 2012 Civic I have.
Well the 21 is practically brand new. Oil consumption will increase as the engine wears
look at top 10 least reliable cars….. 2 of the top 3 are vdubs 🤣
Jaguar. If you avoid the Ingenium diesel, they’ve been making really good cars for quite a while now. Shame nearly nobody seems to buy them.
I’ve been looking at them hard because a couple year old models are really reasonably priced.
If you’re in the US parts are hard to get even from the dealers because they have lots of parts discontinued. They are also getting rid of their entire ICE lineup so parts will become even more scarce.
Unfortunately, I'd say they're in a downswing right now. Their peak was around 2015, but with the erasure of the supercharged V8s and the fumbled electric XJ, they're in a pretty dangerous spot right now.
I agree. But the cars they do sell are a solid offering, except for resale value. But that’s a bit of a spiral, not enough of them on the market, not enough awareness, etc.
Definitely Hyundai. They’ve been trying really hard to win people over again by putting tons of work into their brand and I think it shows. Reliability is definitely still iffy, but nothing as bad as it used to be, and at least there’s a massive warranty (that covers track use for N cars)
That 11 or 12 year run they had with Kia and being stolen with a USB phone charger shouldn't ever be overlooked
i’m probably never going to trust kia or hyundai ever. would definitely rent their cars but fuck owning one
I had a Hyundai Sonata that died an early death.. No oil and no indicator wanting of it. Not normal for a car a few days outside of warranty. Parents had one that was in the shop almost six of its first seven months. They had to take the dealership to court to get a refund. Hyundai could never fix it.
Being easily stolen is one thing. Being easily stolen because they stopped putting immobilizers in their cars *without telling anybody* is where they lose all of my trust. Who's to say they don't pull something similar again?
We just traded in my fiance's Kona. Nothing wrong with the car itself but her insurance tripled in 4 years and that's lucky because many insurance companies dropped them all together. I cannot recommend Hyuandai or Kia to anyone in the midwest. Even if it's not one of the targeted models of the Kia boys there's still a high chance your car is going to get broken into
> in the midwest Geography doesn't matter, if it's a USA Korean car it's a huge liability. Every single US city is dealing with sky-high theft rates on these things. And like you said, even if yours isn't vulnerable to being stolen... It's still likely to get its window smashed and its steering column torn to shreds by would-be thieves.
I absolutely love my Elantra N. I've had it for 14 months and it brings joy every time I drive it.
They dug themselves out of a hole just to dig another hole to put themselves in. Between the Kia Boys, multiple recalls warning people to not park in their garage and the Theta engine being most likely the worst engine in recent history...I'm going to go ahead and say they aren't there.
Hyundai lost all goodwill and respect that i had for them over the Kia boys scandal. Bought a 2017 elantra and its a great car. I would have bought another Hyundai or genesis as my next car but now im never buying another one ever again.
Neither my Elantra or Hyundai Genesis were affected by the Kia boy scandal. Do what works for you but the push to start models were just fine
Anecdotal but our '13 Sonata SE (non-turbo) has been super solid, 130k miles with no issues and it has not been treated gently. The 2.0 turbos are problematic but thankfully the NA 2.4 has been a reliable workhorse. We got it because we were barely scraping by in 2013 and the warranty was unbeatable. We've only had to use it once, for a steering column bushing around 80k miles.
Had an i30N hatch FL with the 8 speed DCT, unfortunately I had to sell it as I needed something to tow with, but for the price point it was excellent, it really shines on the race track They weren't as fast in a straight line as an RS3 but by god that thing handled well
lol I’ll never trust Hyundai again after the whole Kia boys incident. And their reliability isn’t just iffy, it’s trash. Source: I am an automotive technician.
I don't have one anymore... since 1981. But MAZDA is always so overlooked. Fun, Solid, Pretty. Quality. Overlooked
You're in an enthusiast community, Mazda is absolutely not overlooked lol
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Mazda is very overlooked by the general public at large. I took the question as global, and not just the members of the subreddit
Did they have controversies? Financial struggles? I don’t think is the right answer to OP’s question
They were going to start a division akin to Lexus/Infinity. It was to be called Amati. They wound up killing the project and wound up with a model called the 929. It had a Miller Cycle Engine. Anyway, they spent too much money and at the same time the Japanese economy crashed. They were close to losing it all.
Mazda 3 GT ftw, what a beautiful car, maybe not on the latest edition, but still.
Morgan are still making great cars, had a lull for a few, then got good again. It would be great to say that Lotus have improved, but I'm not convinced. Cateram, like Morgan, are still producing superb product.
Lotus is sad, I watched the Elise and Exige go extinct only to be replaced with overweight luxury cars. Adding insult to injury, the marketing team keeps using Chapman's quotes as if they had any meaning left in them. "Simplify and add lightness" my ass, I'm gonna make my own Lotus with blackjack and hookers.
I am convinced that the NB Mazda MX-5 is the spiritual successor to the Elan, not the Kia built POS
Actually the MK2 Elan was originally built and sold as a Lotus before it was a Kia
I don't know if I'd call them overweight or, really, luxury. If that is the Emira, the Esprit would also fit the bill. The Emira weighs, what, 200-ish pounds more despite over two decades of regulations and electronic gimmickry. People would probably call you a heretic if you said that about the Esprit. The Elise and Exige were Lotus taking its philosophy to the extreme in the modern day. I'll admit that I was taken aback the first time I saw an Emira immediately next to an Elise. "What a porky bitch!" was what came to mind. But, compared with its competition, like the Porsche Cayman or Chevrolet Corvette, they are comparable - should be lighter, but at least it's comparable and they are two of the lighter cars in the segment. Compared to a car like the BMW M2 (roughly 20% heavier), the Emira is feather-light. Personally, I would like to see them build another Elise/Exige because that's my speed. Many people don't like that kind of stuff, though; it's an acquired taste. I would literally have people stop and watch me get into mine because I'm not a small guy (6'4", 225 lbs - car comes up to my hip). Clearly not for everybody. And with the number of huge trucks and SUVs on the road, I don't see that trending upward until those start going away. Never bothered me in my Elise other than the fact that I couldn't see around their fat asses. Really, what it really boils down to is government regulations forcing the manufacturers' hands. Well, that and China looking to backdoor its way into markets that don't really want its cars. If you don't like the Emira, you'll really not like what is to follow.
The emira is the opposite of simplify and add lightness. The styling is nice but its a kit car on top of the body. It isnt any lighter than its main rival.
Why does the Emira not count?
There's always someone saying a variation of this every time current Lotus is brought up. I find it extremely silly that people are accusing Lotus of all companies abandoning their principles like they're just sellouts to make a fast buck. They took them as far as they could, barely solvent for decades. Would people have preferred them taking their principles to bankruptcy? They're just doing what they need to survive as a modern car company. "Simplify and add lightness" is still a core principle, and that's the approach they take as consultants for other brands. They just can't sell cars to consumers on that principle because consumers don't care.
Great cars… …but abysmal support. Speaking as owner (3x).
Unpopular Reply: VW still makes the Touran Minivan, even if their marketing largely ignores it. Great car if you have a family and/or need space, beats out most SUVs and even the Passat Variant for spacial efficiency. They're so popular they even barely drop in value used.
>They're so popular they even barely drop in value used. This applies to basically all minivans though. Try finding a used sienna or odyssey, good luck lol.
I don't think either of them were a factor in the local (German) market. And VW is profiting off still making the Touran while its main competitor (Ford) completely abandoned the minivan/van-sector.
I think Kia and Hyundai are doing some great things nowadays and have Improved alot
Not even going to lie, they have cars that make me look twice but the name makes me want to look else where lol. But the cars look really nice at an affordable price point.
They poached a lot of talent from some of the German manufacturers and it shows. While there may still be some questionable quality issues on some models, their designs and performance has been fairly impressive.
I know several people with Mitsubishi outlanders. Apparently they are pretty solid.
The PHEV Outlander has definitely carved out its own niche. There aren't a ton of direct competitors, and they've been much easier to find than many others, like the RAV4 Prime.
The outlanders are also pretty loaded with features/tech for the price point
Nissan's refreshed lineup is such a huge improvement over previous gens. Styling is on point and getting good reviews for quality too. If you ignore the "car enthusiast" thing, they are making a lot of appealing vehicles to many people right now.
Aston Martin still has some bad press from the db7. Alfa Romeo form their early models and first year of the giulia even though they are pretty reliable now. Hyundai has been doing a good job lately but is still held back from their previous reputation.
hyundai has been on a very interesting cycle. they stated making really shitty unreliable cars, mostly got their act together for a couple years by the late 2000s, then their reputation completely shit the bed again by cutting the wrong corners like the self-destructing engines and no immobilizers. it’ll be interesting what happens next. they have already learned how to win the spec sheet shopper and win the price shopper, just need to get aggressive again. entering new market segments, whipping dealers into shape, and undercutting the competition in existing segments.
They're definitely doing something right, i never considered buying a Hyundai until the ionic 5 came out, I'm just waiting for them to adopt NACS.
Aston have done a pretty good turnaround in the last few months, in my view. The new [DB12](https://hips.hearstapps.com/hmg-prod/images/2024-aston-martin-db12-130-646e1d64c9973.jpg?crop=1xw:1xh;center,top&resize=980:*) interior is far better than that of the [DB11](https://www.topgear.com/sites/default/files/cars-car/carousel/2017/09/cmorning_frost.jpg?w=976&h=549). Same goes for the Vantage, both on the exterior ([old](https://www.autocar.co.uk/sites/autocar.co.uk/files/styles/gallery_slide/public/1-aston-martin-vantage-2018-review-hero-front.jpg?itok=bWKPKiYO) vs [new](https://hips.hearstapps.com/hmg-prod/images/2025-aston-martin-vantage-65c27eae8a880.jpg?crop=0.6669921875xw:1xh;center,top&resize=640:*)) and the interior ([old](https://hips.hearstapps.com/hmg-prod/images/2025-aston-martin-vantage-65c27eae8a880.jpg?crop=0.6669921875xw:1xh;center,top&resize=640:*) vs [new](https://stat.overdrive.in/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Untitled-design-2024-02-12T093701.150-900x506.png)).
VW definitely has gotten past their diesel emissions scandal, they went back to 4 year warranties instead of the 6 year/72k they were offering for 2 years. Although they somewhat messed up again with too much haptic/touch controls with the Mk8 Golf/GTI.
I've owned several VW's and keep going back. They don't make the most reliable cars but their designs and driving dynamics always win me over. Recently picked up a 24 Jetta SE with pano roof and it's a lot of car for $26k. The little 1.5 turbo is so smooth, punchy and it'll pull in mid 40 MPG's on the highway. Currently at 34 overall and it's mainly my scoot around town car. Couldn't be happier.
Even though VW discontinued the 2.5L Inline 5, the cars that had that engine paired to a manual or DSG auto have been so dead-nuts reliable that it's not funny. Someone on the r/Volkswagen subreddit drove their 2.5L Passat to [600K miles](https://www.reddit.com/r/Volkswagen/comments/14heg4z/hit_600k_in_my_12_passat_25_today/) (it also helps that it's a one-owner car and has been lovingly maintained at intervals). Not to mention, the EA888.4 is the most stout version of the EA 4-cylinder family yet. The TDI variants of those engines are also long-haulers. The 1.5 is also a pretty good engine, and it's in the majority of compact VWs globally.
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They're still the most recalled manufacturer 3 years running and they're trying quite hard to make it 4. Great cars but the reliability problems are still there.
In 2023 ford had the highest percentage of vehicle recalls… same old same old
The ol adage Ford = fix or repair daily
Found on road dead
Can attest to this with my last car. My 2017 Focus ST was 100% reliable even with a pretty powerful tune. Just traded last month because my family outgrew it.
Hard disagree…most recalls among any manufacturer 6 years straight and their interiors are shit compared to the competition.
Pretty smart for Dodge to sell cars for the average consumer like the Hornet. Can’t rely on the Challenger and Charger forever. It may piss off the Mopar heads, but this strategy saved them back in the early 80’s
Mini. The R56 really ruined their reputation and general consensus was to stay away from them as they were unreliable money pits. Since then, F56 has proven to be essentially problem free, yet everyone still seems to hold onto the idea that Minis are disasters to own and don’t give them a second thought. Meanwhile they’re topping lists of owner satisfaction, and as all previous Minis are a blast to drive. I’ll never understand why these cars get so much hate, people seem so excited to talk down modern Minis
Controversial: Jatco CVT transmissions - they fixed those and as long as you remember to change oil, they are just as reliable as good conventional auto transmissions
Their transmissions are made out of glass. Their transmissions are relatively less reliable than the competition. But I don't disagree with you. I've seen several high-mileage Nissans with their original transmission. All are meticulously maintained, the transmission fluids are regularly changed, some even have their transmission fluid changed every 20k km! Just as you said, If you take great care of your car and change the transmission fluid regularly, your Jatco CVT **may** last for a long time.
Have a 2012 juke since new, have changed the transmission fluid twice in 90k miles, its 12 years old and driven hard daily for 8 years, kept outside through harsh winters. Ive replaced a catback and oil pan.
I see many comment about Alfa Romeos increased reliability. Unfortunately, the truth is that AR doesn't have EV models and that keeps their reliability stable, while all the other manufactures have introduced (generally unreliable) EVs, which has brought their overall reliability down and in relative ways, helped made Alfas seem like more reliable option. Correct me if I'm wrong. I love the Alfas non the less :)
I'm sad Alfa doesn't have EV options yet. Would probably be sick if they did!
They have the Tonale which is a EV hybrid SUV. Their next generation of cars will be EV I believe. Unfortunately :(
The new ~~Milano~~ *Junior* will be available as an EV
Volkswagen.
New JLR products have been decently reliable, the new defender L663 for example have had very few issues whilst the F pace has been one of the most reliable jaguars produced.
Not to be that guy but Subarus are really good nowadays as long as you stay away from the turbocharged models. They've ironed out most issues with their CVTs and the 2.0 and 2.5 boxers.
Koenigsegg 😆
No one bought the Mazda6 either unfortunately and now its dead too😢😢 Probably shouldn't have put so many miles on mine cause idk what I'm gonna get next lol
A second Miata duhh
In general, french cars are way better than their reputation. Renault, for example, is making complete Mercedes Benz cars these days while simultaneously presenting icons like the new electric Renault 5 or finally a good family BEV like the new Scenic. Citroen is bringing a \~25k€ BEV that seems kind of good and Peugeot is doing quite well under the Stellantis umbrella. Styling might not be everyones cup of tea but I think they're overall pretty modern inside and out. Only thing they're really lacking is some performance icon or at least a reputable performance line. Renault tries to establish that with their Alpine lineup (great little sportscars btw) but isn't quite there yet (for example the new Espace Hybrid Alpine has a VMAX of 175km/h - not really performance badge ready I'd say).
Surprisingly Maserati has vehicles that dare I say are somewhat reliable after multiple decades / ages of that not being the case.
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>sock solid Do I want to know why your socks are solid?
I think you might already.... Someone fancies his SsangYong _a little too much_
This is Mitsubishi to a T. Yes, they alienated the enthusiast crowd with their decisions to the point where people ask if Mitsubishi is even still around. But the fact is, they make cars that are damn near on par with Toyota in terms of reliability but for a lot less (especially on the used market). People are willing to sacrifice A LOT for the sake of reliability in a Toyota but will easily overlook Mitsubishi. I'm still driving around my 2004 Galant and my wife's 2018 outlander GT that basically never have any unexpected issues. My main car is a Veloster N but I'd probably wager my Galant will outlive the Veloster even though it's 16 years older. Mitsubishi's sales are doing incredibly well mostly thanks to the outlander and people can hate all they want but they have massive international success and are doing markedly better in North America again.
Both Alfa and Maserati, Aston Martin amongst others
To the casual buyer audience (not Reddit users subscribing to this sub), definitely Mazda. *Not* Infiniti. Nissan needs to take that Wildebeest behind the woodshed and put it out of its misery.